Reversible-draft, individual-bin circulating apparatus



F. J. MAHONEY REVERSIBLE DRAFT, INDIVIDUAL BIN CIRCULATING APPARATUSMarch 22,1927. 1,621,594

Filed Jan. 21, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR, Fran/(JMa Zane} TORNEYMarch 22,1927. 1,621,594

F. J. MAHONEY REVERSIBLE DRAFT, INDIVIDUAL BIN CIRGULATING APPARATUSFiled Jan 21, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR, Fran/i JMafioneyg gram/15yPatented Mar. 22, 1927.

nuance STATS rare-u r "FRANK J". MAHONEY, OF SATIC0Y, GALIFO'BNIA.

..-REV;ERSIEBIJE=DBEAFT,LINDIV1DUAL+BIN omonnu'rIn-e ArrA'nAru-s.

Application filed-January 21, 1926. SeriaLNo. 82,747.

This invention relates .to apparatus for facilitating the curingor'drying ofinuts and the like, and more especially English walnuts. V

The present invention has for an object to providean apparatus whereincirculation of warm air in and through any oneofnumer- OLlS'iblIlS maybe controlled. at Wlll independently of others so that-the variousibinsmay .be loaded, the nuts treatedand thenremoved irrespective, of thestage of treatment in other-bins. The advantage of-this is that theplant may be operated to highest eflt ciency vbyrepeateduse of each bin.asrapid- 15 season; the'bins being served from a comy as possible duringthe .rush harvesting mon heating furnace whose fire maybe eflicientlyemployed and kept up without waste as would occur if the severalbinslhadto be loaded at onetime,'he-at'raised to warmair for circulation thereinat one time.

By my present invention each .bin of a seriesis individually served withwarm air which can be alternated in direction of flew up through thebatch and then down through the vbatch. The advantage of an up anddown'flow is that while the bin be of a considerable width. andanylength the air will have only a comparatively thin depth of layer ofwalnuts to traverse and will act morequickly to dry the nuts .since themoisture laden air will not have to impinge so many nuts in passing upthrough the thin layer as it would iftravelling laterally across thewider width dimension. Moreover, the

natural convection currents ofheated air are of verticaltendeney andthisproperty is aided by vertical percolation through the interstices ofthe nut mass, Whereas in any lateral flow system natural convectionaction is antagonistic with the result that the hot air tends to rise tothe top of the chamber Without much air movement through the lowerlayers of the nuts in the batch. V Additional objects and advantageswill be made manifest in the following specification of apparatusshowing an embodiment of the Figure 3 is a perspective of aportion of vthe grizzly shelf of a bin.

Figuret is a perspective of a ate. 7 r V l Morein detail the newniethodand apparatus are as follows: I

Erected upon a floor=2 is a bin structure including a series of binsdisposed side'by circulation side and each having a bottom?) and a top.

formed of longitudinal doors 4-4 whichare swungup to allow loading-andaccess to the bins. The bottom3 and doors tare about parallel and tiltsharplydown to theifar end :70 the top doors is a shelf or fgrizzlyprefer ably composed of small rods 7 (about 2;! inch diameter) placedabout of an inch apart and supported on cross-barsf8. 'The shelf whichforms the bottom of the from their face 5. Between the bottom-and nutchamber 0, pitches down toward the lower end of the bottom ii. l

Thus,there is formed belowthe chamber C .a clear plenumpassage P at thefrontend of which is a gateboxB having a hot air conduit 10 leading toan air heater 'H which is: supplied withrair from a 1 blower 'F;

At the mouth of the eonduitf-IOis a gate 11 hinged at 12 to swing up ordown. When :in the upper-position (Fig. 2) hot air is directed downintopassageP where head velocity carries much of the air to the bottom 7end of the passage the remainder flowing up through thebatch of nuts onthe grizzly shelf7. whence the air passes upward-to a head screen 13 andto'boxf B and out of an open door 14 above the gate 11. This door 14 isattached to the gate suitable means, as a link 15,,erank 1'6, and

link .17. 'Below the gate isanother door-20 connected by link 21300 acrank 22 which has a link'23 attachedto the gate 11. When door 14 isopened it closes door 20 and gate 11 to direct air to passage P.

After the air has been driven up through the batch of nuts for a period(variously determined) the attendant opens door 20and thereby closesdoor 14 and pulls down gate lifts 11. This results incompletelyinverting the direction of flow. of heated air by causing itto pass downward through the batch and upward along the passage P to thenow open door 20 and out from the apparatus.

After a desired period the circulation is it again inverted and causedto pass upward through the nuts on the grizzly, by reversing theposition of the gate and opening the top door 14 and closing the bottomdoor 20 upper position (Fig. 2) and the air will then flow out past thecover-door 4;.

It is apparent, therefore, that my method comprises alternatelyinverting the air flow through the depth of the batch. which, as far asI am aware is wholly new in walnut drying. I prefer that the depth ofthe mass of nuts is less than the width, therefore causing the air topass through the least dimension of the batch. The smaller the dimensiontraversed, the less the amount of moisture in the air leaving the batchand consequently the greater the drying capacity.

By vertical traverse through the batch I overcome flow loss in pocketsdue toconvection flow upward which occurs if the batch lies inhorizontal position in its bin and if air flow is in cross flight.

The improved grizzly shelf is much superior to mere slats spaced apartedgewise for the reason that the rods are more durable, give less, haveno fiber stripping ofi from effects of current. offer less resistance topassage of air, retain the heat and are self clearing; that is thedebris does not adhere to them as it does to wooden slats.

By securing the rods 7 down upon the cross-pieces 8 by strips ofbox-strap iron 7 Fig. 3, the nuts readily roll down to the lower end ofthe grizzly when the bin is being emptied.

It will be seen that there is no cross-screen to catch and hold therubbish and fibers, and that the present grizzly presents long openingsor slots through which rubbish may freely pass and not block up thepassages up and down through which the air is forced.

The invention claimed is:

1. Apparatus for drying nuts, comprising a bodily inclined horizontallydisposed bin, means for serving heated air to the bin, and means foralternately inverting the flow of air in up and down movements throughthe batch of nuts in the bin; said inverting means including an airinlet and outlet device at the higher end of the bin.

2. Apparatus, for drying nuts, comprising a binhaving a foraminous shelfto support the nuts and forming a lower air passage, an air conduitleading to the bin, a gate at the outlet of the conduit for divertingthe air to pass to the top or to the bottom of the shelf, and upper andlower outlet doors for the air from above or below the shelf.

3. Apparatus, for drying nuts, comprising a bin having a foraminousshelf to support the nuts and forming a lower air passage,

an air conduit leading to the bin, a gate at the outlet of the conduitfor diverting the air to pass to the top or to the bottom of thedividing shelf, upper and lower outlet doors for the air from above orbelow the shelf, and means for concurrently operating the said doors andthe gate to effect an alternateinversion of air flow through the nuts onthe shelf.

4. Apparatus, for drying nuts, comprising a bin closed at the bottom andhaving movable top covers for loading and unloading and adjustable forventing the bin, a foraminons shelf in the bin, a box at one end of thebin opening to the spaces above and below the shelf, a hot air conduitleading to the oox, a gate for alternately inverting air flow up anddown through the shelf and nuts thereon, and upper and lower outletdoors for air after it passes through the nuts and shelf.

5. Apparatus, for drying nuts, comprising a bin having upper and lowercompartments and an intermediate shelf having apertures for the passageof air, a hot air box communicating with the said compartments, a gatefor alternately inverting air flow from the box and up or down throughthe shelf and nuts thereon, upper and lower outlet doors for air afterit passes through the nuts, and means operatively connecting the gateand said doors for concurrent action to close one door and open theother and change the position of the gate.

FRANK J. MAHONEY.

